


slips and slopes

by alileely



Series: the ordinary and boring tales of mark and haechan [6]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Fluff, Fluff without Plot, M/M, and a whole lot of slipping, just mark and haechan trying to get home, literally dozing off while i write this, my apologies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-20
Updated: 2020-12-20
Packaged: 2021-03-10 16:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28200153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alileely/pseuds/alileely
Summary: The only thing separating Mark and Haechan from getting home is this short stretch of ice. It shouldn't be that hard, really.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Series: the ordinary and boring tales of mark and haechan [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2050149
Comments: 4
Kudos: 39





	slips and slopes

Karma only gave Mark three seconds to laugh before he, too, slipped on the pavement.

Donghyuck let out a peal of laughter, not even bothering to tone it down. It helped that they were on a basically isolated street, so it didn't really matter how loud he laughed or how many times they slipped. And Mark could see quite a few slips in the very near future, considering they're trying to make their way up this icy slope.

"Stop laughing, Hyuck," Mark growled, gritting his teeth as he struggled to stand. He slipped a few times trying before he was finally able to regain his balance.

Donghyuck, on the other hand, made clumsy efforts. That is, he proceeded to get down on all fours and attempt to crawl his way up the fairly small slope. Mark paused and watched as he was able to make it to the edge of the curb before slipping back down, causing him to roar in joyous laughter. The poor boy slammed his fist on the pavement, managing to prop one leg up.

"We're gonna end up with hypothermia and broken bones before we get past this curb," Donghyuck said with labored breathing that reflected the almost 20-minute struggle to get past the sloped curb that usually would not take more than 10 seconds to cross.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to go out for snacks at this hour?" Mark asked, grabbing firmly onto the lamppost beside him to steady himself.

"I was hungry and you burnt the last eggs we had."

"Couldn't you have waited until morning?" Mark asked as Donghyuck slowly stood up, arms spread out to the side for balance. "We were going to go grocery shopping anyway, and we still had those cookies that Mama Susie gave us."

"As much as I love Mama Susie, her cookies are so hard, I almost lost my front teeth," he said, an image of the sweet elderly lady next door flashing across his mind. She had a kind smile and she often dropped by to give them some of the stuff she bakes, and nobody had the heart to tell her that she always put too much of something or too little. Sometimes, she mixed up sugar and salt, too, and they always had to keep a straight face whenever they ate it in front of her.

Donghyuck fell on his back with a loud thud, then slid down a few feet before coming to a stop. Mark laughed before trying to slide over to him.

"Okay, I got you, I got you."

Mark tried to skate over to him, but he had always been bad at skating. He fell short of a few inches near Donghyuck, almost hitting his jaw on the pavement. This time, it was Donghyuck's turn to laugh and Mark turned his head only to see him giggling at him, still on the ground.

"You're one to laugh," Mark winced, pushing himself up.

"What do you want me to do, cry?" Donghyuck asked as he sat up. Much to Mark's confusion, he didn't even attempt to stand up. He just sat there, trying to make himself as comfortable. Staring at him in bewilderment, Mark asked, "What are you doing?"

"Look, Mark, the way I see it, we're never getting home," Donghyuck said matter-of-factly. "This curb is the only way back to our house. There is no way we are going to get up this stupid slope if it's this slippery. So, I think we should just give up and wait for the ice to melt over. I mean, if you sit here long enough, it's actually kind of comfy."

"Hyuck, stop being dumb and get up," Mark said, reaching out to grab his arm.

Donghyuck didn't resist when Mark pulled him up. They held onto each other's hands, feet slipping every now and then, bodies slamming into each other accidentally, both clumsily trying not to topple over. Once regaining their footing, they both tried again. And again. And then again.

But as it turns out, their best efforts put together was still no match for Mother Nature.

Donghyuck, on his 18th attempt, ended at the bottom of the curb. He leaned tiredly against the lamppost, letting out a sigh. He crawled several inches before easing himself into a sitting position as Mark watched in amusement. Taking Donghyuck's failure as a sign to proceed, Mark attempted to skate across the ice again. He was slowly getting the hang of it and, to his surprise, was finally able to get farther than all of his other attempts. A giddy smile started forming on his face as he slowly and very carefully tried to reach the other end of the curb.

"No, don't leave me!"

Just then, Donghyuck suddenly grabbed him by the ankle, causing him to fall down onto the pavement. Mark was certain he almost bashed his skull open, and he scowled at Donghyuck, who flashed him an apologetic smile and a peace sign. "Sorry."

Tediously, they helped each other up, careful not to slip.

"What if I pushed you so you can just... slide to the other side?" Mark suggested.

"And then what?"

"Then... I don't know, maybe you can just pull me over?"

Donghyuck considered it, then nodded. "Alright, sounds like a plan."

Just as Donghyuck began to turn around, Mark grabbed him by both arms and smiled lopsidedly. "Actually, you can push me."

"What? Why me?"

"Because you're going to leave me if you get to the other side."

"How do I know you're not going to leave me when you get to the other side?" Donghyuck argued, jabbing a finger into Mark's chest. "Where is the trust in this relationship?"

"You took it with you when you left me yesterday at the bowling alley when I hit that scary-looking guy's girlfriend with a bowling ball," Mark said, slightly pulling Donghyuck back so he would be behind him. Sighing, the younger boy relented.

"Alright, you ready?"

"Sure. Just don't push too— Damn it, Hyuck!"

Mark almost fell forward with the intensity that Donghyuck had pushed him, and the boy's laughter behind him let him know that it was on purpose. Still, though, he had made it to the other end of the curb where it wasn't so icy. He sighed heavily, turning around to glare at him while he simply hunched over in laughter.

"I have half a mind to leave you here."

"Don't you dare, Mark Lee," Donghyuck warned him, pointing a finger at him.

"Or I could just watch you try to make it here."

"Oh, you asshole," Donghyuck said, almost growled, and squinted his eyes at him. Mark had a naughty smile on his face, and it didn't take long for Donghyuck to realize from his relaxed figure and hands nonchalantly buried in his pockets that he was serious.

"I am so going to get you for this, Mark Lee," Donghyuck muttered under his breath as he slowly placed one foot in front of the other. Mark bit his lip to hold down his laughter as he watched his boyfriend teetered across the ice, miserably failing as his feet slipped and his legs gave way underneath him.

Mark's stomach hurt from laughing so much and Donghyuck, pulling himself up using the lamppost, smiled sarcastically at him. "Having fun?"

"Absolutely. Do it again."

_"Mark."_

Mark allowed himself to let out another hearty laugh before holding out his hand, trying to lean as far out as he could manage. "Alright, alright, grab my hand."

Donghyuck moved forward a few steps before reaching out and grabbing Mark's hand just before he slipped. Mark almost toppled over, which would have been trouble for both of them, but managed to catch himself just in time. Firmly grasping Donghyuck's hand, Mark slowly started to pull him up the curb.

But all it took was a single misstep, a miscalculation on Mark's part. He had stepped forward only a bit, just enough to readjust himself to pull Donghyuck up. But then, his feet caught on the ice and, before they knew it, they were both skidding back down the curb.

Mark and Donghyuck were right back where they started at the foot of the slope, crashing against each other as they came to a stop right next to the lamppost.

"Not again," Donghyuck groaned.

Mark tried to get back up, but their bodies had tangled into each other, and the pair stumbled over one another as they both tried to get back on their feet. Soft giggles escaped from both of them as they clumsily fell on one another, hands grabbing and pushing.

Finally, they managed to sit up, legs still tangled with one another. They paused to regain their breaths and found themselves smiling as they stared at each other.

"What are you looking at?"

"What are _you_ looking at?"

Chuckling softly, their hands found their way to each other, fingers intertwining as they leaned closer to each other, their breaths mingling.

Breaths and heartbeats paused as something fell on Donghyuck's nose.

Glancing up, they saw that tiny drops of snow had begun to fall from the sky, landing softly on their hair and skin, featherlight like fairy dust. Donghyuck stuck out his tongue, trying to get a taste of the cotton-like droplets — little pieces of clouds, as he used to call them as a child. Mark's eyes sparkled with wonder as he watched the snow, and Donghyuck's eyes softened at the sight of him.

Mark lowered his gaze to see Donghyuck staring at him. He held his eyes for a few seconds, loving the way Donghyuck's eyes trailed over every detail of him. Passionate as he was, there was always something so tender in the way Donghyuck looked at him and touched him. Mark used to think that his love was so passionate that it consumed him, and he was afraid he would get overwhelmed by it. That was during the beginning, when all he really knew about him was his name and that he was the cute guy who apparently had a crush on him. He didn't know yet at that time that Donghyuck's passion showed in quieter ways, such as whispers in the early morning before the sun rises and cups of coffee placed silently beside him as he worked long hours at home. So it seemed right, almost perfect even, to see Donghyuck framed by the falling of snow — a quiet wonder, so ethereal that it didn't require any sound, too beautiful for words.

Smiling softly, Mark cupped Donghyuck's cold hands and brought them up to his mouth, softly blowing on them. Donghyuck smiled at the warmth and he almost melted right then and there like ice in the heat of the sun, which was a little strange since the weather was probably freezing.

Mark smiled, that same heart-stopping smile that Donghyuck loved.

"Let's go home."

**Author's Note:**

> [cc](https://curiouscat.me/alileely) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/alileely)
> 
> Thank you for reading!!! This is just something random that my sleep-deprived brain managed to put together, so I hope you enjoy this. I appreciate you clicking on this little fic (which is, by the way, inspired by [this video](https://fb.watch/2vsd0QyTs3/)). Kudos, comments, and constructive criticisms are very much appreciated!!!
> 
> Sending u hugs ♡


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